Corchorus or Jute

Seeds: Collect seed from yellow or

brown, almost mature, pods and leave
to dry on a sheet in the shade. Seeds
are dormant and should be sown only
after 4 months. Keep properly dried
seeds in a closed container to avoid
damage by insects.
Sowing and Transplanting: Mix seed
1:10 with sand or dry soil. Sow in rows
or broadcast. By thinning seedlings (12 cm apart) you ensure that you have
stronger
seedlings.
Transplant
seedlings when they are about 7-10 cm
tall, as older plants will not grow well.
Spacing for tall varieties is 10 cm in the
row by 30-50 cm between rows. Broad
varieties with many side shoots require
a spacing of 30 x 50 cm.
Management: Jute responds well to
manure. Apply 1.5-2.0 kg of dried
chicken manure (or well-decomposed
cattle or goat manure) plus 100g ash
per m2. When manure is not available,
apply mineral fertilizer. Plant the crop
at an interval of two weeks to spread
the marketing period. Plants can be
topped to give stronger side shoots.
Frequent watering is needed for a good
leaf yield.
Harvesting: The first harvest is the
thinned plants with their roots attached.

The next harvest will be tops picked at

about 15 cm above the groundlevel.
New side shoots will develop and
harvesting can be repeated 3 or 4
times. More frequent and intense
harvesting of leaves tends to prolong
the leaf growth phase. Jute perishes
quickly after harvest, especially when
left in the sun. Wrap leaves in a wet
cloth, leaving plenty of room for air to
circulate and keep moist. Water may
be sprinkled on heaps of produce but
not too often since this will stimulate
rotting.
Pest and disease: Pests and diseases
are rarely a significant problem.

Jute with groundnuts

(Recipe from Kenya)
Ingredients:
2 cups Corchorus (Cowpea leaves can
be mixed in as well)
1 Tomato
Groundnut paste (to taste)
Salt to taste
Liquid salt from ash (1-2 table spoon)
softens vegetables & retains green
colour
Method:
- Pick soft young tender leaves
- Clean and wash corchorus/cowpea
leaves
- Cut into smaller pieces
- Use enough water for cooking and
add salt
- Add leaves to water and cook for 3-5
min while stirring
- Cut tomato and add, allow it to cook
for 1-2 min and remove from the heat
- Mix groundnut paste very well
- Add cooked vegetables to paste
mixture and stir
- Serve warm with any staple food.

Traditional Jute
(Jute is prepared like this all over
Africa)
Ingredients
2 cups fresh, cleaned leaves
Ash or bicarbonate of soda (small
amount)
Water (enough to cover the leaves)
Methods:
- Add ash to water in a beaker and stir
well
- Add mixture to pot
_ Stir and add washed leaves when the
water is cooking.
- Boil till tender
- Do not cover the pot or leave it
unattended, as the water is liable to
boil over
The ash or bicarbonate of soda will
make the jute less slippery but do not
add too much, it will destroy some of
the nutrients.

This leaflet may be freely re-printed, translated or modified for non-commercial purposes to suit
individual country contexts, however, please acknowledge that the original material was
produced under the EU-sponsored IndigenoVeg project. Crop information was compiled
from research done by AVRDC-RCA (Tanzania), ARC (South Africa) and NARO (Uganda).